We arrived at the parking lot entrance around 9:45 a.m. having stayed at a local hotel just one exit up the 77 freeway near Charlotte, NC. I noticed the sign for “season pass parking” and turned our vehicle in that direction. We passed by a very small remote kiosk and just showing my Cedar Point Platinum Pass gained us instant admission and we parked just to the right of the front gate. I’m absolutely loving Cedar Fair’s Platinum Pass – it is truly worth the money.
Walking up to the front gate, I was very impressed with the Southern plantation mansion that served as their entrance. I was especially fascinated by the fact that Carowinds sat on the North and South Carolina border and you could find yourself in either state throughout the day – even while on an attraction!
Carowinds did a great job of taking you from the absolute nothingness of the parking lot and surrounding area into a very attractive entrance plaza. We went through the standard metal detector and bag check (I had brought a back pack with our bathing suits and sunscreen for the water park). I was thrown a bit by the wonderful attitude of the bag checker. He was a man in his 50’s and he chatted with us while quickly searching our bags and then gave us a big smile and told us to really enjoy the park. I’m not used the security person at an amusement park being so welcoming. Unfortunately, the ticket taker was more of your standard “grunt and scan” employee and we received no smile or welcoming from her.
The entrance plaza, otherwise known as Carowinds Plaza, was actually very tiny. Several flags waved above us and we crossed over the bridge into the first main junction of the park.
I knew that Nighthawk (formerly known as Borg:Assimilator), the “flying” coaster, should be our first stop due to slow loading capacity. Since the park had not officially opened, there was a short line of guests outside the entrance to the ride (which is very near the front entrance of the park). We stepped in line and an employee was soon in front of us notifying me that Nighthawk was the only ride in the park that did not allow backpacks or other “carry on” items. She kindly directed me to the lockers near the entrance to the ride.
At that point, an announcer came over the PA system notifying us that they would now play the original Carowinds theme song followed by the national anthem prior to officially opening the park. I laughed at the cheesy chorus of seventies singers piped through the various park speakers telling us of the wonders of Carowinds.
I ran over to the lockers (and then felt a bit guilty as I was moving about during the national anthem) but discovered I had no quarters. At that point, I was a bit frustrated so I grabbed my friend out of line and told her that we would head to Afterburn (formerly Top Gun) as our first ride.
We wandered to our left through Nickelodeon Central and got a bit of a giggle when I misidentified a character on the wall as one from Hey Arnold! And a neighboring mother corrected me and told me it was Little Bill.
Nickolodeon Central was your standard Cedar Fair/Paramount children’s area installation. Rugrats Runaway Reptar (the kid’s inverted floorless) was there along with the Lazytown Sporticopters and the Fairly Odd Coaster. I’m still impressed with the kids areas in these parks – they are very well done.
On our way to Afterburn in the County Fair area, we passed by Scooby Doo’s Haunted Mansion (a favorite of mine) and attempted to take a quick “ghost safari” but the ride was still closed.
After we reached Afterburn, it took us an extra 10 minutes to find the entrance. Once we did, we immediately boarded the front car for a ride on their inverted floorless. What was extra fun for me was that my traveling companion, Rachael, had not been to an amusement park since she was 12 (she’s now 35) and even then the largest one she had been to was Elitch Gardens in Denver.
Rachael was a brave soul and did not hesitate to board the coaster. On the lift hill, I explained to her what was about to happen (fully expecting a mild ride similar to California’s Great America’s version), but then had to grab on because this inverted floorless was quite a ride from beginning to end – including a very cool mist effect during the 2nd half of the ride.
We enjoyed it so much that we jumped right back on in the back car (the ride operators did not make us exit and re-enter – they let us just switch seats which is very unusual for a Cedar Fair property). I noticed that the employees on this ride were quick to load and check the seats and I was pleased that these employees had more of an urgent attitude then I’ve found at other parks recently. This time I warned Rachael of the “crack the whip” effect of the back of this type of coaster and I was even surprised by how whipped we got. Although it is no Raptor, Alpengeist or Montu, it really is quite a good inverted floorless!
Next up we hit Thunder Road, a standard out and back racing woodie. There were barely any guests in the County Fair area of the park so we boarded the back car of the coaster. The ride operator had a thick Slovakian accent and I wondered if Carowinds had a similar program to Cedar Point where they hire college and international students for the summer and put them up in nearby dormitories. Thunder Road was a good ride – not too rough in the back, but the return trip really slowed the car down so it lost its muster half way through. I did get a good view of the waterpark (Boomerang Bay) while riding as the coaster covered the entire length of it. After exiting the coaster, we both decided that one ride was enough and we did not ride the other parallel track.
After a quick ride on the Southern Star (your standard “go all the way upside down” boat swing ride) we headed back to Scooby Doo. There was just a short line and I was pleased to find that the cars for this version of SD’s Haunted Mansion held four people and there were a good many cars on the track (this after having experienced the incredibly slow capacity of Canada’s Wonderland’s version). The ride was your standard installation, and both times we rode my digital score was missing a few lights (making it difficult for me to see if I actually beat Rachael in points), but it was a good ride and the employee at the exit area asked all riders if they enjoyed themselves.
By now it was 10:45 and we had a total of 6 rides on 4 different attractions in the first 45 minutes of the park opening.
We next headed over to the Carolina RFD area past Boomerang Bay (along the way passing from South Carolina into North Carolina). We passed by what looked to be a hilarious ride called Nickelodeon Flying Super Saturator (which was located just outside Boomerang Bay’s entrance and far away from Nickelodeon Central). I’ll tell you more about this one later – one of our favorites! We headed straight to the Carolina Goldrusher which I believe is one of the original rides in the park. It was well-themed in a wooden shed and the cars had little engines at the front of them (similar to Thunder Mountain). The ride was your typical non-looping, older installation (similar to Goldrusher at Magic Mountain) with two lift hills. Although I’m sure we didn’t get much over 40 mph, it was a really enjoyable ride with good use of wooden sheds (to scare you into putting your hands down for fear of whacking a few planks) as well as some dug-out turns.
Upon exiting, I noticed the very well themed food services area that looked like a Southern coastal town and boasted both Carolina Corndogs and the appropriately “punny” Outer Hanks counter service restaurant.
By this time, Boomerang Bay was open so we sauntered in that direction to check-in to our cabana (although we could have entered at 10:45 with my season pass, we opted to enter with the general population at the hour-later then park opening time of 11:00 a.m.). Boomerang Bay snaked back to the outer reaches of the park and followed along the tracks of Thunder Road. We headed to the very back of the water park to a brand new area called Bondi Beach – a large wave pool with cabanas lining both sides and several “open” chaise lounges near the entrance to the wave pool. There was a large restroom and changing area there as well as a small snack bar.
I had read on the Carowinds website about the new Bondi Beach and the ability to rent a cabana – so I had rented one about 2 months back receiving a 20% discount as a season pass holder (it cost me around $55 and I found the extra expense well worth it). The check-in process was quite simple – they had a packet and my key all ready for me and directed me along the right side of the wave pool to cabana number 14. I asked about renting towels but they told me they only sold them (turns out it was so warm out that there was no need for a towel).
The cabanas were quite nice – a large covered tent area with two chaise lounges, a small table, a large lock box and a flotation tube for the wave pool inside. In front we had a large patio table with four chairs and an umbrella. Soon after arriving at our cabana, an employee showed up with a huge bucket of ice filled with 6 bottled waters. Inside my packet was a map, instructions on food ordering (the cabana employees would fetch you family size pizza, sodas and a few other snack items – although the price was “amusement park” steep) and discounts on cabana rentals for a future visit.
We locked our valuables in the lock box (it could easily fit two back packs), trotted over to the changing rooms and donned our bathing costumes (an appropriate term as the entire park was based upon Australia) and then headed straight for the highest slide – Pipeline Peak.
We hiked up several stairs to get to the top of this body slide. While we waited our turn (there were only 4 people in front of us), two gentlemen turned and began walking down the stairs. They looked at me and said “make sure you have no rivets on your bathing suit or they won’t let you ride.” I suddenly remembered this rule for body slides and looked down to see two rivets on my bathing suit. Rachael held out her arm and showed me the incredibly large metal watch on her wrist. I stuffed her watch in my Velcro pocket and rolled up my suit legs before the lifeguard could notice and was permitted to ride. And what a ride! Pipeline was an excellent enclosed slide with lots of speed and turns. Truly exciting!
We next climbed a separate portion of the same Pipeline Peak tower (about half the height of the body slides) and rode the double-tube enclosed slide. Nothing out of the ordinary – but a very enjoyable experience.
By now we were hungry so we trotted over to Ozzie’s Outback Shack and ordered some counter service lunch. I was able to order a chicken wrap with no mayonnaise and was pleased that I was actually going to eat “healthy” at a theme park. The young, pleasant employee behind the counter was very confused when Rachael handed him a $100 bill to pay and it took him a while to figure out how to give us change back. Today’s teens’ dependence on the cash register read-out to make change is scary.
We brought our lunch back to our cabana and sat at our table under the umbrella watching the guests bob up and down in the wave pool.
After lunch, it was our turn for the wave pool. Bondi Beach boasts a spectacular installation and the whole crowd screamed with glee whenever the buzzer sounded to alert swimmers to the start of the waves. Although they were more random swells than anything else, we had a blast bobbing up and down and colliding with everyone else. Once again, the southern politeness astounded me as every time a young ‘un bumped into me, he or she would say “excuse me” or “sorry.” Why can’t more kids be like this?
After the wave pool, it was time for a return to the coasters. First stop directly outside the entrance to Boomerang Bay – Nickolodeon Flying Super Saturator!
The Saturator wasn’t really a “thrilling” ride – it was a very low, very short inverted floorless with only 4 seats on each car – two facing forward and two backwards (there were only 2 cars on the track but this was plenty). There were no drops, loops or significantly wicked turns. What made this ride an absolute hoot was its immersiveness with water. Not only could your car be soaked by water fountains below the ride (many of which can be controlled by guests watching the ride), riders also each had their own water tank on the car of which they could control when to drop their load by a lever located between the seats.
Although the employees did a great job getting riders on and off the cars, the design of the ride meant a long wait. But, due to the water interactivity of the ride, it was a thoroughly enjoyable time in line. Riders could choose to soak either passersby or the people waiting in line – the latter being chosen much more often. So, we were soaked before we even rode but we had fun talking and laughing with everyone in line and cheering on the riders above us in the hopes that they would drop their load our way.
After getting “super saturated,” we walked around the corner to Vortex. Although the line was not that long, the employees of this attraction were sloth-like in their loading and unloading procedures. And, with any stand-up coaster, load times are lengthened due to the complexity of the ride restraints. I climbed in the car quickly and got settled, but other passengers were having problems and the employees unlocked the restraints unexpectedly twice – thus making me wonder if I really would be able to produce children in the future.
The Vortex was short and the drop was not very high, but, surprisingly, it didn’t knock me around too much (as many stand-ups do) and I found it to be an enjoyable experience. This was Rachael’s first stand-up experience and although her nerves almost got the best of her on the lift hill, she really enjoyed the ride. An extra bonus was that the track straddled both North and South Carolina so you found yourself in each state during different portions of the ride.
Finally, it was time to revisit Nighthawk which was just around the bend from Vortex (we had done a full circle at this point and were now back at the front of the park). We agreed that we would wait to ride, no matter how long the line. The line itself was not too long, but, due to the slow loading of the ride, the lacksidaisical attitude of the employees and the fact that they were only running one car on the track (2 cars would have significantly helped the wait time) – it was 1 hour and 15 minutes before we were laying down in our car ready to climb the lift hill. I have a rule that I will usually wait no longer than 30 minutes for an attraction and will only extend that time for rides like Millenium Force at Cedar Point.
The ride itself? Not worth the wait. It was incredibly odd riding on your back for half the time (I’m used to Superman at SFGA where you’re on your stomach from the get-go), and the ride was a bit rough in places. The first drop was fun, but the rest – including the loop, was a bit jolty and disorientating. With no wait, I would definitely ride again – but waiting longer than 20 minutes for this attraction in my opinion is not worth it.
By now, we were warm again and headed back to Boomerang Bay. The crowds had definitely packed into this portion of the park and there were lines from the bottom of the staircase all the way up the towers of both Pipeline Peak and Down Under Thunder. The latter – the family raft ride – looked enjoyable but we opted not to ride due to the extensive wait.
Instead, we trotted over to some of the older slides and tried out the Awesome Aussie Twisters – a simple, enclosed tube raft ride.
As we climbed the stairs with our tubes, I offered to carry the tube of a very young boy in front of me. His father had sent him up the line on his own. He seemed incredibly young (3 or 4 years old?) and too tiny to ride. Indeed, the lifeguard stopped him at the top and notified me that “my son” was too small to ride. After explaining that I didn’t even know the small boy, he sent the young one back down the stairs. I really think that parents should pay more attention to height requirements for attractions that are clearly posted at the line entrances. Sending your child up on his own when he’s too small to ride doesn’t seem like good supervision to me. In the end, the Awesome Aussie Twisters were pleasant, but nothing to write home about.
We trotted over near the other supposed wave pool, Great Barrier Reef (we never saw any waves), and then grabbed a double tube and climbed the ladder of the Sydney Sidewinder – an open tube slide with two tracks.
When we got to the top, I had inadvertenly stepped into the starting pool before the previous rider had entered the slide. The lifeguard raised his voice to stop me and I corrected myself. On our second trip to try the other slide, the lifeguard apologized for raising his voice to me. Again – I was shocked by the Southern politeness. The lifeguard had only done his job – I was in the wrong and he had firmly told me to correct my behavior. I told him “no worries” but thanked him for his kindness.
Surprisingly, the Sydney Sidewinder became our favorite slide. It’s not that high nor long – but it seems like time is extended while you’re on the slide and we screamed and laughed all the way down – especially when we were jettisoned from the raft when it hit the water at the end.
After this – we enjoyed more wave pool time and made lots of temporary friends bobbing up and down in the swells.
Since Boomerang Bay closed an hour prior to the rest of the park, we packed up our cabana at around 6:45, checked out, then headed for some more rides prior to the park’s 8:00 p.m. closure.
We realized we had only really seen half the park in the time we had been there – so we hustled to maximize the attractions in our final hour.
We headed straight to the Thrill Zone and boarded the Carolina Cyclone – your classic double looping, double corkscrew coaster that resembled Cedar Point’s because it “corkscrewed” over the path. There was no line so we boarded the very back car and took off. Both the drop and the two loops provided us with complete stomach butterflies and we were very impressed with the ride even with its age and its short ride time. We would have ridden several more times – but there were more attractions to experience.
We took a quick “drop” on Drop Tower – your standard installation at any park (this version matched the ones at SFGA and Canada’s Wonderland) before jumping on the Hurler, Carowinds’ other wooden coaster.
There was no one in line and they were running two cars, so we got right on and I chose the very front seat. Rachael – due to her inexperience with coasters – relunctantly agreed to the front – although she admitted to being quite terrified. The train left the station, turned the corner and climbed the lift hill. I was prepared to get the snot knocked out of me. Instead, we had one of the best rides of the day! The Hurler seemed incredibly fast in the front, but it didn’t jerk us around as other woodies do. We laughed and screamed for the whole ride and both gave it a thumbs up when we returned to the station. There was no one in line, so we immediately jumped out of the front seat and got in the back seat for another ride (again, the employees didn’t seem to mind this). What we got this time around was an incredibly rough, wild ride and we bruised ourselves in several places due to being knocked around in our seats. Bottom line: The Hurler in the front is fantastic. The Hurler from the back will send you to the hospital.
With only 30 minutes left until the park closed, we opted to skip the Ricochet mouse coaster and headed to the front of the park to ride the Wild Thornberry’s River Adventure – your standard log flume ride. Although loading was reasonably quick and there were several logs in the water, we still had to wait 25 minutes to ride. We boarded with a mother and her son and were treated to a sub-par ride due to the log hitting the bottom of the flume almost the entire time. The final drop didn’t get us too wet, and we were a bit disappointed that we wasted the 25 minutes to wait for this attraction.
It was minutes until 8:00 p.m. (closing time) at this point, but I was determined to get Rachael on the Rip Roarin’ Rapids as she had never experienced a circular raft ride before. I ran in flip flops down the path and was able to catch the line attendant right before he was to close the line for the attraction. He allowed us entry and then closed the ride behind us.
We ended up riding with a fun family of four, but Rip Roarin’ Rapids was reasonably tame for this type of attraction – we barely got wet. To me, nothing compares to the ultimate Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges at IOA.
The main souvenier shop at the front of the park remained open past 8:00 p.m. so we bought t-shirts and candy before exiting the park.
We both agreed on the way out that we could spend one more day at Carowinds – especially if we had a cabana once more. We could tell how much fun we had by the lack of pictures we had taken that day. Although Carowinds certainly is no “destination” park like Disney, Universal or Cedar Point, it is definitely worth a visit if one happens to be in the nearby area.
Overall, the rides were decent, the employees were mostly pleasant and the park was definitely pretty and clean. I was pleased that several of the rides were operated by young people who understood the meaning of throughput, and the originality of the Super Saturator still puts a smile on my face. Carowinds is definitely a surprise in the south. Don’t expect ultimate, off your seat thrills if you visit. Just expect to have a good ‘ol southern time.
